


a rhapsody for you and me (and every melody is timeless)

by aura_w



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (Mostly) Canon-Compliant, Alya Césaire Knows, Alya Césaire Ships It, Angst, Ball AU, Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Nino's Lab Equipment, Original Powerups, Slow Dancing, drug deals, someone help these children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24578644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aura_w/pseuds/aura_w
Summary: Marinette wants to see the love of her life. Alya wants to bust a group of suspicious criminals flying under the radar. The two of them sneak out in the middle of the night for varying expectations of fun and adventure, only to realize they may be in over their heads. At the grand event of a well-known celebrity, patience and friendships will be tested as teenagers flirt, fight, and continue to fall in love.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Kudos: 8





	1. i've been hearing symphonies

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Just a heads-up, this is *not* my story! I'm letting my little sister borrow my account to post her first fic, and helping her out as a beta.
> 
> A/N: Hello! I’m Symphony and this is my first time writing a fanfiction! I hope you like it! I just wanted to let you know, Alya knows that Marinette is Ladybug, but no one else does. This takes place right after the end of season three.

“Mmm, that cake was delicious, dad!” said Marinette as she walked up to her bedroom.

“Thanks, Sweetie.” Her dad turned to her. “But just to let you know, we’re opening an hour earlier tomorrow because the mayor ordered, like, a really really big cake for his meeting in Marseille.” Marinette felt really bad for her dad. He already looked exhausted. “You know, Marinette, I would appreciate it if you helped lift some stuff like flour bags, and spoons, and the stuff I trust you around? And make sure you’re done all your homework, because that comes first.” Marinette was suddenly anxious. 

“Okay, dad,” she said as she made her way to her room. “Ugh, Tikki, what am I going to do?” 

Tikki said, “You’re done all your homework, right?” 

“Yeah, but I wanna go to the Archambeau 10th Annual Ball! With that many elite people, it’s almost guaranteed Adri- I mean an akuma attack, will happen!” 

“You want to see Adrien,” Tikki said with a deadpan stare. 

“Whaaaat? No!” Marinette exclaimed halfheartedly. 

“Mmhmm. It’s okay. You probably are right about the akuma attack, at least.”

“So Tikki, you know how I’ve been experimenting? With Master Fu’s tablet of secrets? I’ve been trying to decode that, and I found something quite interesting. I told Nino I needed to borrow something for the chem project, but I actually-”

“Marinette! You can’t just steal stuff from other people!” Tikki cried. “It’s been the third time this month with Adrien’s phone,” she added in a whisper. 

“I thought we let that go,” Marinette said, side-eyeing Tikki. “Anyway, I made this potion. Not really sure if it works yet, but hey, what do we have to lose?”

“Um, okay…” Tikki was slightly worried. “Last time we tried this, I turned into an actual ladybug. And so did you.”

“This. This little thing right here,” she held up a water bottle that was not so little. It was filled with a creamy silver substance. “This will let me turn into an elite Ladybug! If it doesn't work, I promise we won't go," Marinette pleaded. "We won't stay for long anyway, because I should help my dad tomorrow. If it doesn't work, I'll just say 'spots off' and I'll go to bed, and if it works, I'll get to see Adrien!!!" She dreamily sighed as she tried to gracefully spin around the room but ended up collapsing. 

"Oh, to hell with it." Tikki chugged a small amount and she looked, exactly the same. 

“Tikki, power up!”

"Umm, Elite...Tikki??"

"Elitikki? Spots on!!" 

After a brief transformation, Marinette didn't feel _ that _ different, but she found herself in elbow-length gloves, a tulle skirt with a sweetheart cut, and some ballet flats, in her signature red with black polka dots. “Wow, I guess it really worked!” She examined her beachy waves of hair in her mirror. “Wow I look... not ugly.”

“Marinette, hon, are you talking to yourself?” Crap. She should plant the fake sleeping head Alya made for her in case she had patrol late at night. It was weird but strangely comforting that Alya knew her secret identity now. Alya swore on her life that she would never let the secret slip, but Marinette always worried about her vulnerability to Hawkmoth. She put the head under her covers and leaped out the window, moments before Sabine Dupain-Cheng entered her daughter’s room to find ‘Marinette’ peacefully sleeping.

* * *

“Make... sure,” Alya spoke as she typed. “To read… the... Ladyblog and... next on... All of it With Alya.” She uploaded it on her site. This was a pretty easy story on the environmental crisis in Europe. The only reason she did it was because she had to upload  _ something  _ every Friday... or, before that. She contemplated the problem that she was currently trying to investigate. 

Her mother had gone on a trip to Luxembourg recently to cook something for Mayor Bourgeois, since she was the star chef at his hotel in Paris. For some reason, Archambeau considered chefs ‘secondary staff,’ and they weren’t even told where to go. Marlena ended up in a restricted area, and she caught a glimpse of a huge production company that was packaging drugs. With a keen eye for things, there’s no way she missed that. However, if she reported it, she would be fired for being in a restricted area, and maybe even arrested. Archambeau runs a children’s charity, and that thing makes big bucks. What if he used the money that people donated to run a drug company under a different name? 

She thought she would never get to write the story, until she saw a familiar girl running across the roof, in a tulle skirt with polka dots. “Holy... is that you Ladybug?” It was a little while ago that Alya found out the girl she basically stalked for a high school job was actually her classmate and BFF Marinette. “Hmm…” Alya decided to call Ladybug. If she was in a fancy outfit, chances were she was going to the party, for Adrien, of course, the love of her life. She would make up some silly excuse that she  _ totally _ wasn’t, and Alya chuckled at the thought. Anyway, she could go as her friend’s plus one, and since it is a ‘charity’ ball, she could probably catch him red-handed! On top of that, she could be Rena Rouge again! “Hey girl.”

“Alya,” Ladybug replied, a little perplexed. What could Alya need right now?

“Based on the totally fly look and hair, I suppose you're going to the ball.” Alya stated.

“Yes. Yes I am. And before you say anything, Adrien’s only like fifty percent of the reason I’m going bec-”

“Yeah, Chloe’s there, someone's gonna get akumatized. I want to go as your plus one.”

“Did you drink something??”

“Let me explain.” Alya told the whole story about Archambeau. 

“Ok, but everyone knows that you're Rena Rouge, right?”

“Everyone was under akuma influence, so they wouldn’t remember. Only you, Cat Noir, Hawkmoth, and Mayura know.” Ladybug cringed at the last two names. "Ok, fine. If there's an akumatization, I'll leave immediately." She saw the uncertain look in her best friend's eye. "Come on, Ladybug, money is literally being robbed from orphanages, this isn't just about my story. It's about being the good guys. The heroes. And you should know that better than anybody. Ladybug sensed the plea in Alya's voice. And then she ran. Desperate over the phone, Alya said, "Where are you going?" 

Ladybug replied, "To get your miraculous. Dress and all."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	2. before all i heard was silence

"Blergh, that hairspray smell is revolting!" Plagg yelped.

"Says you." Adrien finished styling his hair. He never looked forward to these big parties. He honestly didn't know how to feel about this one. On the bright side, he hasn't been in a room with this many people since his mother died. On the other hand, it would still just be Nathalie with a tablet instead of his father, and he would have to spend the  _ entire  _ night with Chloe. He wanted to be friends with her, he really did. But she just made it so… hard. He straightened out his suit, just to realize it had no creases. Nathalie must have ironed it. 

“Adrien?” Her voice was deadpan, and she wore the same suit that she wore  _ every day.  _ But then again, he’d been wearing this suit to almost every special event since he was like, twelve. “Please get in the car.” 

“Yes Nathalie.” He took a seat in the limousine, but he couldn’t even put his head back without risking getting hair gel on the back of the seat. “Wait, where’s father?”

“Gabriel has business to attend to. But he can make an appearance on the tablet in case he would like to meet with some of his business partners.” Of course Gabriel Agreste had ‘business’ to attend to. He always did.

“Nathalie, can I ask you something?”

“Yes. What is it?”

“When was the last time father went to a party again?” Adrien couldn’t quite seem to remember. 

“I’m not quite sure. He went with your mother a few years back. Can we leave now?”

“Yes, Nathalie.” She pulled out of their immense driveway, and they were off. Very, very, slowly. It always annoyed Adrien how slowly Nathalie drove. 

He wished he could attend these festivities with his actual friends, like Nino, Alya, and Marinette. Nino had said something about missing lab equipment, and Adrien reminded himself to check with him on Monday. Nathalie played quiet piano on the radio. Piano music always calmed Adrien, but sometimes he was jealous of Nino, who knew every rap lyric to exist without stuttering or thinking twice. 

The thing about these parties was that they just made him feel so abnormal. Adrien wished that  _ he  _ could be on the tablet and just duck out of the frame or just turn it off when someone tried to talk to him. However, as both his friends and enemies were aware of, Adrien Agreste has a physical and mental inability to be mean to others. 

They pulled into a huge building looming over them, so majestic it was almost like a castle. Nathalie stepped out first. 

As soon as she was out of earshot, Plagg announced, “If there’s no cheese I’ll just leave.” Adrien rolled his eyes. 

“ADRIKINSSSSSS!!!!!!” 

“Hide, Plagg.” He glanced up at the offending voice, hoping she didn’t notice. “Hi, Chloe!” She had a blue wrap dress and an extremely curly updo, with silver heels to match, and silver jewelry studded with sapphires. “Do you like my outfit? Isn’t it just perfect? My daddy got it for me. Well, of course he did. I look so good! Don’t I, Adrikins?” 

“Yeah, you look nice.” He was surprised Chloe didn’t notice that his suit was about three years old, with her supposed taste for fashion.

“Adrien, let’s go inside.” He heard Nathalie’s voice, and stepped through the doorway. He hadn’t been to Archambeau’s charity ball for two years, and the venue was colossal. Golden lighting and swirls of silver adorned the the walls, which seemed to be taller than the beanstalk he had to fight Weredad in. And there was food. So much food. The hall was wide and long, so there was a chance there was going to be some slow-dancing, and he cringed at that thought. 

Chloe took his arm and started walking to the corner of the hall, which was so large Adrien didn’t even know where the corner really was.

“So you know my mommy’s super rich cli-”

“We will meet your mother’s client later,” Nathalie spoke once again out of nowhere. “We should meet the host first, Mr. Avery Archambeau.” 

“Oh, okay.” Chloe gulped. Nathalie wasn’t intimidated by anyone, but could scare basically everyone. Nathalie turned on her tablet, showcasing Gabriel Agreste’s ‘I don’t care about this stupid party’ face. Suddenly, everyone in the room started to notice the ruckus outside in front of the main entrance. 

“I’m telling you man, I _ really am  _ Rena Rouge." _ What the actual hell? What’s going on? Why is Alya at the party? Wait, is Ladybug at the party? Why are they at the party? Are we in trouble? What happened? _ These questions raced through Adrien’s brain, and he kind of just awkwardly stood there. 

A woman with dark hair and a pink ball gown and a heavy Russian accent spoke. She was talking to Audrey Bourgeois, so he guessed she was her super rich client.

“Imposters or not, it would be quite entertaining if they could join the festivities, wouldn’t it?

“I guess it would be, sweetheart,” a tall man in a black suit and tie said. It was Avery Archambeau. “Come in.”

Ladybug and Rena Rouge walked in. Adrien always found Ladybug to be the hottest person in the world, and just when he thought she had reached maximum hotness as Dragonbug, she proved him wrong. She wore elbow-length gloves, a tulle skirt with a sweetheart cut, and some ballet flats. Her hair flowed in beachy waves around her shoulders, and her iconic yo-yo tied around her waist. Adrien swore his jaw was on the floor. She also held a small clutch that she kept close to her, but he wasn’t quite sure what was in it. 

When the whole room had gone silent, Ladybug shouted “Lucky Charm!” A swirl of reddish pink light revealed a polka dotted pencil sharpener. Adrien decided to open his mouth, at the worst possible time.

“Don’t worry, she always gets weird stuff like that, but since she’s so  _ sharp,  _ she always knows what to do with it.” Adrien felt every pair of eyes in the room focus on him. Why in the world did he say that? What made him possibly think saying that would be a good idea? “I know that because... I watch all the coverage of Ladybug and Cat Noir when they fight... people.” Everyone in the room looked a little confused. After a few incredibly awkward moments passed, Chloe broke the silence. 

“Okay, okay, we know that she’s Ladybug, but what about ‘so called’ Rena Rouge? And if that  _ is _ Rena Rouge, then where did they get the dresses? And why did Ladybug come with  _ her  _ when she should have taken Queen Bee?” Rena seemed to take the hint.

“Mirage!” she yelled. An exact replica of Chloe formed and asked the exact same questions in the exact same manner. Adrien felt bad he failed to notice Rena Rouge. She had on a billowy high-low orange dress, with a white belt and other notes of black and white. Her flute was fastened in her belt, and her hair fell in soft orange ringlets that turned into white. 

“Ok, so you are Rena Rouge,” Chloe’s nasal voice said. “But what makes you think you can come to a high class party full of rich, important people like  _ moi _ ?”

“Uhh, well, you know, see,” Ladybug started. Adrien really hoped they could stay. But he needed to make sure they didn’t find out he was Cat Noir. 

“We’re heroes, Chloe!” Rena Rouge declared. “We’ve done a lot more for Paris than most of the political figures here.” That was a bit risky to say, but the Russian woman apparently liked it. 

“Hmm, a girl with gumption. I like that.” She gestured widely around the hall. “Welcome to the party, girls.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. life was stringing me along

“Holy crap, we just pulled that off.” Ladybug whispered. She handed her a vial of the elite power-up from her clutch, and they went to the bathroom to recharge their powers after asking five people where the bathroom actually was. Even the bathroom was jaw-dropping. It had much more modern elements than the traditional fairytale-esque castle, and was mostly composed of dim lights and geometric shapes. The stalls were huge, and they had full doors like they were some kind of elite changing rooms. 

“Damn, girl, we should like, move in here.” Rena said. Rena and Ladybug each went into a bathroom stall. “Elitrixx, let’s rest!” 

“Elitikki, spots off!” The girls both waited a minute for Trixx and Tikki to finish drinking the power up and eating to restore their energy. “Alya, you should transform so you can go talk to Archambeau. I have to pee.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll meet you outside. It’s not like Rena Rouge can’t defend herself if she gets in trouble, right?” Marinette inquired.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Alya replied. “Elitrixx, let’s pounce!” 

“Go get your guy, Rena!” Marinette cheered on Rena.

“Go get yours!” Rena had left the bathroom to go on her mission, as Marinette relieved herself. 

“Ok, Tikki, are you ready to do this?” the thought was cut off, when she heard what might just be her least favorite sound in the world. 

“Ugh, is my make-up smudged or something? It better not be.” Marinette couldn’t see Chloe, and she wasn’t her main focus right now. She flushed the toilet, which was made out of platinum. “Is someone in there?” Chloe’s voice spoke.

“Elitikki, spots on!” The pink light illuminated the stall, and Ladybug was pretty sure Chloe knew who was in there. 

“Ladybug!” Chloe seemed furious. Ladybug would just wave to deal with her quickly and she’d be out. “We need to talk. Like right now!” Ladybug opened the door. She hadn’t taken a moment to notice Chloe before. Her hair was styled in golden locks, and they were so curly they only reached her shoulders. Ladybug had to notice her necklace, which was studded with sapphire. It was beautiful. Even though it didn’t really make sense, she decided to wash her gloves. 

“What’s up Chl-”

“Elitikki? There’s an elite power-up?” She stormed around the bathroom. “And you gave it to Rena Rouge? That’s just stupid. Utterly stupid. Why is she even here? Why did either of you want to crash the party? Like of course I’m completely fine with  _ you  _ in attendance, but like her? I have a theory that she might even be-” Chloe looked around the bathroom nervously, and then said in a hushed whisper, “poor.”

Ladybug didn’t know whether to start rolling on the floor laughing or punch Chloe’s perfectly winged eye-liner off her face. Instead she just awkwardly said, “Rena just has some business to attend to. That’s all.”

“Oh!” Chloe seemed amused. “Oh! Really! So she’s mingling outside with one of the richest people in the world because she has ‘business’ to attend to. I’m telling you Ladybug, she just dragged herself along to get a taste of rich life.” Ladybug wanted to tell her so bad that the person Rena Rouge was ‘mingling’ with was an illegal drug dealer. Ladybug felt horrible.  _ She  _ was the one who just came to see Adrien.  _ Alya  _ was the one who wanted to help a charity for orphans. “Chloe. Trust me. Rena Rouge is a good person and superhero. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what she’s here for, or it could potentially put you in danger.”

“I’m just saying she has no right to be here.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little mean?”

“What do you mean? I met a poor person once, and I wasn’t even scared or anything.” 

“Scared of what?!” 

Chloe heaved a heavy sigh. “You wouldn’t understand. Anyway, I just came here to fix my lip-liner. You know what Ladybug? I’m not even offended that you didn’t take me as your plus one. I understand that you want to give the lower class a chance. Me, you, and my beloved Adrikins will have so much fun together!” Ladybug did definitely want to see Adrien, that’s what she’d been waiting for for ten days. But she also told Alya that she would meet her when she was done peeing, and she finished peeing a while back. Then again, Alya did say she could hold her own, and Ladybug had faith that she could. She also told her that she would want her to go to Adrien. And when Chloe has you backed up against a wall, it’s hard to get out, even with superpowers. “Ok.” She stood confidently. “Let’s go find Adrien.” 

“Yay!!!!” Chloe ran out the door at the speed of lighting. They made our way back into the hall, which seemed even more ethereal with the dreamy orchestra playing in the background. Ladybug did a quick scan around the room to see if she spotted Rena. Chloe must have felt Ladybug drifting away, so she pulled back. Chloe took them both to the snack bar, and yelled “ADRIKINS” at the top of her lungs. 

“Chloe?” His angelic voice had spoken.

“Adrikins, hi!” Chloe pulled Marinette forward. His golden hair was perfectly tousled. And his suit was perfect and satiny. Even after almost two years from meeting him for the first time, his eyes still reminded Ladybug of a rare plant from an exquisite garden. “I brought a friend!” Chloe shrieked.

“Ladybug?” his gave her a smile.

“Hi,” _This is_ _not_ _the time to be awkward,_ Ladybug thought. _Oh no, what if he suspects I stole Nino’s lab equipment?_ She decided to put that thought aside. “Adrien.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. and then you came and you cut me loose

Rena gripped onto her flute as she left the bathroom. She just had to locate Archambeau, which would be extremely hard in a party with that many people. 

She was out in the open, completely vulnerable to Hawkmoth and Mayura. That scared her a lot more than she liked to admit. But she knew woundn’t get any information out of anyone if she didn’t carry herself confidently. Who would give her answers? Who would even want to talk to her? Did she even have a right to be here? Well if Chloe did, she deserved it too. Maybe it would be less crowded in the garden. 

She made her way into the courtyard, and her weightless dress billowed behind her. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and she looked very pretty. But not as much as the garden. Flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes were scattered all over the dark greenery. Alya saw another beautiful woman. She had intricately braided hair down to her mid-back, and pink suede heels with a fluffy covering at the front. She had a clean floor length bubblegum dress with a fuzzy trim at the top of her bustier. 

Alya realized that it was the woman that convinced the crowd to let them in in the first place. Chloe also described her as one of her “super rich clients,” so maybe she had some information. “Hello ma’am,” Rena Rouge sat down at the ledge of a calm water fountain beside her. “I believe we had an encounter a little while ago.”

“Well you sure put on a show, Ms. Rouge.”

“Uhh, thanks?”  _ Stop it Alya, be professional.  _ “Call me Rena, please. And I never got your name Ms.-” 

“Zolato. My name is Lida Zolato.”

“Oh! Why, yes of course!” How could she not know this? She was one of Marinette’s fashion role models, and the daughter of the Russian billionaire, Liev Zolato. 

“Where’s your friend?”

“In the restroom.” She had to be honest. Lida nodded, so Alya asked what she came for. “How do you know the host?” Lida’s response wasn’t what Alya expected, because she doubled over laughing. “Is there something funny, Ms. Zolato?” Rena was genuinely confused. 

“Avery and I are engaged. We’re getting married in a month.”  _ Cha-ching.  _ Rena Rouge had hit a jackpot with this one. 

“Congratulations!” 

“Thank you.” She took a sizable sip out of her martini, and Alya made sure to note that she held it with her left hand, just in case she was involved too. 

“So how did you two meet?” 

“Oh, in a meeting in Moscow around six weeks ago. He’s really a charm.” Her shiny, long pink nails drummed on the ledge of the water fountain. Lida tossed her dark braid over her shoulder.

“So, do you two work together?” Alya inquired. She got that she might not know  _ that  _ much because she met him very recently, but if they worked together... Instead, she just started laughing again. Except this time, it was more like a polite giggle. 

“No. He is a businessman, he’s head of Archambeau Inc. I don’t really no anything about his work, though. He pays his employees well, and is a very fine man.” She was telling the truth, Rena could tell. 

“What about that charity he runs?” Rena Rouge needed more direct answers. 

“Oh, I’m one of his main ambassadors for the charity!” She seemed very eager to say that. Alya made sure to to listen closely to  _ everything  _ she said after this point. But Lida took another sip out of her martini and didn’t say anything. 

“So what do you do as main ambassador?” 

“Oh, I just campaign for him in Moscow, and when my family goes on other business trips. Why do you ask, dear?” 

“Oh, um, I’m just interested.” Rena decided to gain her trust first, and ask lighter questions so she might spill something in the process. “So what do you do?”

“Well, I model for Gabriel Agreste and Mrs. Bourgeois.” 

“That’s impressive.” Lida laughed.

“No, not really.” She took a final sip of the martini. “My brother Micha went to a prestigious boarding school in Germany. I was homeschooled.”

“Why?” Alya didn’t really know what else to say. 

“Well, Micha just graduated. He’s also been set to run the business since he was born.”

“If you’re older, then why aren’t you set to run the business?”

“Things are different in our world, sweetheart.”

“What do you mean?”

“You wouldn't understand. You might think I’m pulling the ‘poor rich girl’ right now, but life is much easier when there aren’t reporters stalking your every move.”

“That’s not really what reporters want to do, I’m guessing.”  _ Don’t give yourself away.  _

“Then what do you think they want?”

“Exposing the truth. To catch criminals. To better people’s lives. I’m sure there’s tons of reasons.” 

“You know _ ,  _ you can really speak well. You should take a position of leadership.”

“Oh. Um, thank you.” 

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Uhh, yeah.” Alya didn’t know where she was going with this. “Why?”  _ Oh shoot. Nino told me something about his lab equipment. That can wait though.  _

“No reason. Just be careful.”

_ Of what??  _ Alya thought. She was confused with the mention of Nino, until she heard a voice almost identical to Lida’s from far away. 

“Lida, are you coming?” 

“Yes, mother!” she looked at Alya again. “My mother, Olga.” But Alya then heard another voice. The one she stayed up late for, gathered evidence for, and stayed up all night thinking about. Avery Archambeau. 

A man in a black suit and intensely blue tie walked into the courtyard. “Come on, Lida, it’s time for the dance.”

“Of course, Avery.” She linked her arm with his and looked at Rena. “You should come too, honey.”

“Oh, are you Rena Rouge?” Archambeau inquired. “You put on quite a show.” 

“Thank you.” Rena walked a few steps ahead of them, and entered the main hall again. She saw Ladybug and it felt like a century since she last did. Lida and Avery walked in. “Hey, did you two say that there’s gonna be a dance?”

“Yes.” they said simultaneously. Alya eyed Ladybug again from the entrance.

“Oh, you’re gonna dance Ladybug.” She then glanced at Adrien. “I’m gonna make you dance with Adrien Agreste if it’s the last thing I do.”


	5. been solo singing on my own

“Adrien,” Ladybug whispered to him. “Hi.” Her voice was angelic. He could feel Plagg rolling his eyes in his pocket. The fact that he knew what that felt like said enough with Adrien’s relationship with his kwami. 

“You look hot,” he blurted out. All he could think after he said that was  _ shit shit shit shit sh- _

“Aww, thank you Adrikins!” Chloe replied. “I mean like, do I ever not?” She looked at her manicured nails edged with glitter. Adrien let out a sigh of relief under his breath. `

“Hey, where’s Kagami?” Marinette said. 

“I texted her. Her mom broke her leg. She said she didn’t want to go but she doesn’t know what she’s missing out on.” Adrien replied.

Chloe stared down at Ladybug’s dress. “You look cute, obviously, because you’re you, but hon, that just isn’t in style right now. Have you ever read Vanity Fair? Or Vogue? Of course there are some people who run the style world, aka  _ moi,  _ and alas some who don’t. Should we get eclairs? That statement bothered Adrien a little, but not that much, because he knew Ladybug could stun him even in a trash bag. 

“Yeah, let’s get eclairs.” he replied instead. 

“Chloe!” A man yelled from a nearby table. “Yes, Daddy! Coming!” She turned to look at Ladybug again. “Have you ever met my Daddy? He’s the mayor of Par-”

“Yes I have, many times.” She cut her off. Andre made his way to the food table and he said, “Chloe dear, Mr. and Mrs. Zolato wants to see you.”

“Zolato?” Ladybug said. “As in the father of Lida Zolato?” 

“Most know  _ her  _ as  _ his  _ daughter, but yes.” 

“Ok, cool.” Ladybug said.

“I’ll be right back, guys!” Chloe said. Their conversation went along the lines of “you’ve grown up so much,” and “You look so nice!” etc. That left Adrien and Ladybug at the buffet, and their position made them awkwardly stand in line by accident. 

“So…” Ladybug started. “What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” he said as they each took a croissant and sat down on a marble bench. “And don’t listen to whatever Chloe says about your fashion sense. I for one, think you look breathtaking.” he said. 

“Thank you.” She said tucking one wave of hair behind her ear. “That means a lot.”

“Do you think Cat Noir would look that pretty in a dress? I think he would.” he took a bite out of the croissant. Ladybug had to laugh at that. 

“I’m sure he would. I can’t imagine him in a dress.”

* * *

8 years ago

Adrien smeared lipstick all over his face. “Yes. I look beautiful, just like Mommy.” He pulled up the violet gown that hung over him like an enormous poncho. He had sleek heels to top it off.

“Mommy, look at meeee!!!” 

Emelie screamed. 

* * *

“Yeah, I wonder.” He looked up at Ladybug and asked, “So, what did your kwami eat so you could wear a dress?”

“Wait, how do you know about kwamis??” Ladybug asked.

“Um, er, well, remember that one time I turned into Aspik to help you defeat Desperada?”

“Oh, yeah!” 

_ Phew, nice save _ , Adrien thought to himself. 

“I made this thing for me and Rena. It was still in its experimental phase, but somehow, it worked!” 

“Well, of course it did! You’re a genius!” Adrien felt another eye-roll.

“Thank you,” she replied. She was always so beautiful and intelligent. Adrien sometimes felt like he just sat around and waited for her to save the day. But being the awesome person she is, she always reminded him that that’s not true. He also knew the secret identity of Rena Rouge, Carapace, etc, when fighting Miracle Queen. He was in battle, so he didn’t really have time to be surprised. He did think Alya and Nino were the perfect people for the job. But Hawkmoth also knew their identities now, which might put Alya in danger. 

“So, Ladybug, what made you come?” Adrien asked. 

“I just, I just you know, wanted to drop bees- I mean by, drop bees by, wait no, NO BEES.” she said the last two words a little too loudly. 

“Who said that?” Chloe whined. “Queen Bee is the best superhero!” 

“Chloe, dear, pick what song to play!” It was Archambeau. His voice sounded like a row of elegant ducks yelling in unison. He also saw Rena Rouge behind Archambeau. She must have made friends with some of the people at the party. 

“Song to play?” Ladybug asked him.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been here in years. Anyway, you said you just wanted to drop by. Why did Rena tag along?” Knowing Alya, it would be a good reason. 

“Well, you know, she, you see,” She sighed. “You know what? I’ll tell you the truth.” She told him Rena Rouge’s plan, but she didn’t tell him the drug dealers name, just that he was at the party.

“Oh.” Adrien was honestly astonished. “That’s awesome. Not like the whole drug thing, just what she’s doing.” Breaking into a ball to bust a drug deal had the name Alya written all over it. 

“You won’t tell any-”

“My lips are sealed.” He was tempted to add ‘milady’ at the end of that sentence, but talked himself out of it. 

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Archambeau suddenly announced. Adrien and Ladybug made their way to front at the podium. Rena winked at Ladybug, but Adrien didn’t know why. 

“I would like to properly welcome you all to my tenth annual ball, for the night has just begun!” everyone cheered.

“Adrien,” Rena Rouge whispered. “Psst. Adrien!”

“What?” He asked

“Do it.”

“Do what?”

“I know you want to.” she winked. That was the end of their short whisper conversation, when Archambeau announced the game-changer. 

“We will now commence our decades-old custom of a traditional ballroom dance.” Everyone cheered again, and then coupled up. Rena’s voice echoed in his head. “Do it.” 

“Ohhhhhhhh,” he said audibly. 

“What?” asked Ladybug.

“Nothing, milady.” he didn’t even care that he said ‘milady.’ He stared into her ocean blue eyes. “Do you want to dance?” 


	6. now i can't find the key without you

“Um, er, yes.” she said. Marinette could _not_ believe this was happening. She took his hand and walked into the middle of the hall as romantic music played in the background. She stared into his eyes and he stared into hers. The whole scene was perfect. Their moment was quickly interrupted when they heard Archambeau’s booming voice again.

“And before we start,” he said, as the orchestra came to a sour ending, I would like to happily announce my fiancee, the beautiful Lida Zolato.” Ladybug cheered along with the crowd. She thought about the gold outfit she wore on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. She was a true style icon. And at age 20! Avery and Lida linked arms and took center stage. They were incredibly good dancers. Better than Ladybug and Adrien at least. 

When the music started again, everyone regained their positions. Adrien put a hand around her waist, and Ladybug put hers on his shoulder. They linked their hands together and they started to dance. The music set the mood. It was dreamy and romantic, like they were dancing on a cloud with no one else. 

They were captivated in each others eyes, like nothing else would ever matter. Ladybug never liked the stories about being a princess who found her prince, until she experienced it for herself. 

The surrounding couples began to twirl each other, so Adrien decided to take a shot at it. He twirled her like she was a ballerina, even though she was the polar opposite. _How are you so good?_ She thought to herself.

“Adrien, have you ever danced with someone before? You’re really good.”

“Really? Thank you. I danced with my friend Marinette once. But that was different.” 

“Are w-we not friends?”

“I always thought we were something more.” They stared at each other. They didn’t dance, they just held each other. Marinette thought they were going to kiss, and they probably would’ve, but-

“Adrien. Your father wants to talk to you.” Nathalie came out of nowhere. Again. 

“Yes Nathalie.” he sadly walked away with Nathalie. 

“Bye, Adrien!” Ladybug said.

“Bye... bugaboo.” Something seemed familiar to Ladybug, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it. 

* * *

She decided to vent to Rena Rouge. After all, she did just dance with Adrien! Alya was probably tagging closely to Archambeau. She managed to track Lida, but Archambeau wasn’t with her, which was odd considering how close she was to him during the rest of the dance. Archambeau probably left to do whatever shady business he was up to, and Rena probably followed him. 

She decided to text her on her yo-yo.

 **_Hey girl, the CRAZEST thing just happened._ **She ignored the typo she just made and sent it. Alya responded immediately.

**_Sorry, I can’t talk right now. I’m in this weird place with a lot of trucks!!_ **

**_OMG,_ ** Ladybug started typing, **_where are you? I can help!_ **

**_No no no it’s a good thing! I’m about to catch him red-handed! You don’t need to help. I ‘powered down’ so I’m not elite anymore so its easier to fight_ **

**_Rena please tell me where you are!_ **

**_Someones coming im sry well talk promise girl._ **Ladybug panicked. 

She ran to the bathroom and closed the stall. “Elitikki! Spots off!” 

“Oh, my goodness!” Tikki said. “Marinette, are you okay?” Marinette desperately wanted to vent about the dance, and how Adrien said they were more than friends, but Alya came first.

“Alya comes first.” Marinette said. “I got you a cookie from inside. Eat and then we’ll save Alya.”

“Thank you.” 

“And we’ll just be Ladybug right now. The last thing I should have to worry about is fighting in a dress.”

“I’m done!” 

“Great. Tikki, spots on!” She transformed, and pounced out the door. Heads turned, but Ladybug didn’t care. She had to get to her friend. She stopped when she heard chatter, and she saw Lida Zolato crying. Maybe she was just drunk, but Ladybug wanted to stop to make sure she was okay. “What’s wrong, miss?” 

“My.. my husband,” she said between sobs “He was arrested… and-”

“It’s okay, Ms. Zolato.”

“I don’t want to marry a criminal!” she got out of her seat and yelled. Murmurs filled the crowd, as if they weren’t already there from the scene outside.

“And thanks to Rena Rouge, you won’t have to.” Ladybug concluded. She founded the nearest window and jumped out to find her best friend with a bunch of police cars. Archambeau was shoved in the car in handcuffs by Roger Raincomprix. “RENA!” Ladybug screamed from the top of the roof. 

“Ladybug!” Rena said. Ladybug landed smoothly, and they embraced. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” 

“Let’s power back up in the bathroom, and then we can talk _all_ about the dance.”

“Wait, how did you-”

“I was the one who told him to ask you.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yep.”

“Okay, we’ll talk in the bathroom.” She waved her hand at the policemen. “Take care of him!” And they were gone.

“Come on Ladybug! We still have a whole night to enjoy!” 

“Hell yeah we do.” They went inside to hear a loud scream from Lida Zolato. “Yeah, I think we should cheer her up first.” Ladybug decided. 

“Yeah, I agree.” Alya said. “And then we go find Adrien.”

“I like that idea.” Marinette decided. “I like that a lot.”

* * *

“I’m telling you, I didn’t do it!” Archambeau screamed. He couldn’t believe he was in chains, and he banged his fists on the ground. 

“Nice try. You were caught in the area of production, and all the evidence Ms. Rouge attached makes perfect sense. She makes quite a fine journalist.” said Raincomprix, leaving the cell.

“NO!” he yelled and punched the ground. “NO, NO, NO!” He sat up straight to take in what had just happened. His company would be in tatters. His reputation would die, and his marriage would end before it even started. All for a crime he didn’t even commit. “I WILL GET YOU, RENA ROUGE!” But then there was a purple butterfly, and it had infected his handcuffs before he even saw it. 

“I will help you get your revenge on Rena Rouge, for I even know her secret identity,” the voice in his mind crooned. “I only ask for one thing in return…”


	7. and now our song is on repeat

“Do it,” she mouthed to Adrien. It was hilarious how clueless they both were. She saw them couple up and as much she wanted to watch them dance, but she heard some mumbling behind her. 

“Boss says we need to check the area.” the brunette man said softly, but loud enough for Rena to hear.

“I don’t really want be involved with that.” the blonde girl with a bubble braid said. 

“Me either. Do you think we should just wait for him to do it?”

“Yeah.” They looked at each other for a moment and then went back to doing their jobs. _What the hell??_ Alya thought to herself. _I guess I have to do the same thing as them. Wait._ She sat on a bench and sat on it. 

She watched Adrien and Marinette stare into each other’s eyes. That was love. She heard the music stop, but they just kept dancing. It was hilarious and adorable. No one stopped them. 

“Archambeau, Sir?” the girl with the bubble braid asked, like something was awaiting him. 

“Yes, thank you Alice.” She went to serve tea to Olga Zolato like nothing happened. Archambeau left through an entrance she hadn’t seen. Or an exit. Whatever it was, she was following him. He entered through another hallway, except this time it w“Come on Ladybug! We still have a whole night to enjoy!” 

“Hell yeah we do.” They went inside to hear a loud scream from Lida Zolato. “Yeah, I think we should cheer her up first.” Ladybug decided. 

“Yeah, I agree.” Alya said. “And then we go find Adrien.”

“I like that idea.” Marinette decided. “I like that a lot.”as thin and narrow. All of a sudden, he turned around, sending a chill through Rena’s body. 

“Oh, hello Ms. Rouge! What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was just…” she frantically looked around. “Going to the bathroom. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m just taking care of some business.”

“I see. Well then, I guess I’ll be off.” Rena rushed to the bathroom. It was just like the other one. Rena walked in and opened the stall and said, “Elitrixx! Let’s rest!” she slumped behind the closed door. “Is there anyone else, Trixx?” Trixx zipped through the stalls and outside of it. 

“Nope.”

“Okay.”

“Why didn’t you follow him?” 

“I have a feeling we’re in for a fight.” said Alya as Trixx chewed on a strawberry. “So I don’t wanna wear a dress.” 

“I’m done.” Trixx said. Alya let out a slow inhale. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Trixx, let’s pounce!” She jumped out the stall. “Ok, remember. Stealth.” Rena told herself. She could still hear an echo of Archambeau’s voice, but wasn’t sure what he was saying. She followed the voice. Who was he talking to? Rena found the answer to that once she heard the Russian accent. It was Lida. She got close enough to hear the last things they said. 

“I’ll be with my father, Avery.”

“Yes, dear.” he replied with. Rena Rouge crept up close enough to get a view. He put his thumb print on an electronic pad. That must be where the production was happening. He opened the door next to the pad, and Rena quickly followed Archambeau through it. She led herself into an abandoned alley, and there were trucks _everywhere._ The place reeked of something rotten. Her flute was held up in defense, but it chimed. She had gotten a text from Ladybug. 

**_Hey girl, the CRAZEST thing just happened._ **

**_Sorry, I can’t talk right now. I’m in this weird place with a lot of trucks!!_ **Alya typed. She was going to catch him! This could get her famous, and potentially launch her career!

**_OMG, where are you? I can help!_ **

**_No no no it’s a good thing! I’m about to catch him red-handed! You don’t need to help. I ‘powered down’ so I’m not elite anymore so its easier to fight_ **Alya typed.

 **_Rena please tell me where you are!_ **Right as she sent that she heard footsteps behind her. She decided to send her a last text so she wouldn’t worry. 

**_Someones coming im sry well talk promise girl_ **she hastily typed. 

“Ms. Rouge!” Archambeau sounded enraged. “Why did you follow me here?” 

“The same reason I came here this night. The same reason I did everything I did in the past twenty minutes. Every. Single. Thing.” 

“Huh?”

“To catch you red-handed.” 

“I’m afraid I might have to arrest you for trespassing, Ms. Rouge.”

“I don’t think I’m the one who’s going to be leaving in a police car tonight.” 

Archambeau tapped his smartwatch twice. “Security!” he yelled. “I’m in classified area Olympia, I need back-up!” 

“Yes, sir!” He was wearing earpieces the whole time. They could hear everything Rena said. She was terrified. Whatever happened, she didn’t want to draw blood. But if it did come down to that, she would. She shouldn’t have turned away Ladybug. She should have let her help. She pushed every thought aside. She had to focus. If she didn’t, _she_ would be the one going to jail tonight. Around fifteen men armed with rifles and shields surrounded her, and Archambeau ran. _Coward._

“Mirage!” She yelled. Thirty copies of her surrounded her. While they were fighting her clones and the mirages disintegrated, she ran up the side of a truck and took a leap. She was out into the open Paris streets. 

“GET HER!” She hear the voice from afar. Even though she was utterly scared out of her mind, she knew what she was doing. She was going home to get her evidence. She’d been putting it together for weeks, including absences at foriegn meetings, and extended leaves that didn’t make any sense. 

She opened the window and grabbed the portfolio on her front table. She jumped out again and made her way back to the alley she came from. The men all pointed their guns at her, and she said, “I just want to talk. Since I’m not arrested yet, I have the right to do that right?” They nodded. Her hands were still in the air, but she handed who looked like their commander her evidence. His eyes widened. 

“Holy crap,” he said. 

“We’ve been working for him for years and,” a woman started. “It all makes sense.”

“Then let’s get him.” said Alya. 

After what felt like the longest fifteen minutes of her life, Rena Rouge was finally reunited with Ladybug. 

* * *

“Come on Ladybug! We still have a whole night to enjoy!” She said. 

“Hell yeah we do.” They went inside to hear a loud scream from Lida Zolato. “Yeah, I think we should cheer her up first.” Ladybug decided. 

“Yeah, I agree.” Alya said. “And then we go find Adrien.”

“I like that idea.” Marinette decided. “I like that a lot.”

“But it’s gonna take a while cheering that one up,” Ladybug joked, pointing to Lida’s shadow. 

“Wait.” 

“What?” Marinette had that same perplexed look on her face whenever Ms. Mendeliev said anything. 

“You’re acting like Lida Zolato has been upset for a while.”

“What do you mean?”

“How long has she been crying?”

“I don’t know, she was crying before I transformed and came out of the bathroom.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Why?”

“Archambeau got arrested just now. Like right, right now. Seconds ago now.”

“But she’s been crying for minutes.”

“So she already knew he was going to get arrested.”

“Or she was part of it too, and those are just crocodile tears because _she_ didn’t get caught along with him,” Ladybug said. 

“I feel like there’s a lot more to this mystery than I thought there was.” Rena Rouge concluded. This was far from over. It might just even be starting.


	8. and i'm dancing on to your heartbeat

Ladybug’s eyes were always an ocean of thoughts and emotions. He was going to kiss her. But he didn’t. Because freaking Nathalie. “Adrien. Your father wants to talk to you.” Nathalie came out of nowhere. Again. 

“Yes, Nathalie.” He sadly walked away with Nathalie. 

“Bye, Adrien!” Ladybug said.

“Bye... bugaboo.” He said. “Where are we going, Nathalie?”

“To another hall. And you couldn’t dance forever, Adrien.”

“What do you mean?” 

“The music had stopped a while back. You had kept dancing.”

Adrien felt his cheeks flush bright red. “Sorry.” They walked and Nathalie opened a random door out of nowhere. It was in plain sight, but it still made Adrien do a double take. “How big is this place?” Adrien asked. 

“Big.” 

“Oh, ok.”  _ That totally answers all my questions.  _

“Hello, son.” Nathalie held up the tablet so Gabriel could speak. 

“Hello, father,” Adrien sighed. 

“Are you having fun?” Gabriel gave a smile. He was attempting to make it a warm smile, but instead of warm like the hearth, or the sun, it reminded Adrien of global warming.

“I’m having fun.”

“Good.” There was an awkward silence between the two and Nathalie just stood there like a statue, and Adrien wasn’t sure if that made matters better or worse. A lot of his classmates are jealous of his wealth, but he keeps in mind that his ‘family’ dynamic is like if someone tried to pair a magenta vest with yellow jeans.  _ Waaaaay  _ off. 

“Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?” Adrien asked.

“No. I just wanted to see you. You may go. I need to talk to Nathalie.”

“Oh.” Adrien said. He was a bit surprised. “I can go?”

“You may.”

“Cool.” Adrien turned around and walked back into the hall. Or the extension of the hall. He didn’t even know anymore. He went to the buffet, and picked up a coffee cake. He wished Ladybug was here. The coffee cake tasted exceptionally good. Rena Rouge was probably doing something, and he didn’t know where Ladybug was. Maybe he should go check on Chloe.  _ She has to be here somewhere,  _ he thought. “Chloe? CHLOE?” He couldn't track her.  _ Where is she??  _ Adrien just decided to call her. He reached into his pocket for his phone. He poked something soft. 

"Ow!"

"Sorry, Plagg." Wrong pocket.

"Sorry doesn't cut it! It's been an hour and I still haven't eaten any cheese at what's supposed to be an elite party." There was that eye roll again. 

"I will, okay, after I find Chloe." Adrien poked Plagg's head back in and dialed Chloe. Sure she was an absolute pain but Adrien was quite the opposite and wanted to make sure she was okay. 

"ARGHHH!" Was all Adrien heard. Chloe was pissed. Adrien used to have nightmares, but none of them measured up to Chloe being pissed. "I don't want to talk, Jean-Beau! Why don't you get it?"

"Hey Chloe," Adrien said meekly.

"Hey," she was still teary eyed and her tears were black with mascara. “What do you want?” 

“Um... I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You’re okay, right?”

“No.”

“I can come bring you some coffee cake!”

“Ok.” She said. She wasn’t bringing the storm for some reason. She would probably blow when he got there. 

“Where are you?”

“Fourth door down from the podium, and then make make two lefts.” said butler Jean. Adrien always felt so bad for butler Jean. Chloe didn’t address him by his name, and no one even knew what it was. He started walking faster, and the sobbing stopped.  _ Hopefully it won’t be replaced with screaming, _ Adrien thought. 

“Chloe?” he called out. 

“ADRIEN!” Hurricane Chloe stormed toward him. She plucked the coffee cake from his hands and handed it to butler Jean. 

“Um... what do I?” he was confused. Butler Jean was trying his best.

“Ughhh! Just take care of it, will you!” Chloe yelled.

“Yes miss.” he scurried away. 

“Okay, Chloe.” Adrien let out a long deep breath. “We can talk no-”

“HOW COULD YOU?!” 

“Umm, I don’t-”

“The dance started and you just ditched me and started dancing with Ladybug?!?”

“Oh my gosh!” Adrien got so caught up with Ladybug he completely forgot about her. “Chloe, I’m so sorry. We can dance at the end of the party if you want.” Adrien felt bad.

“NO!”

“N-no?” Adrien was thoroughly confused. 

“NO!  _ I _ wanted to dance with Ladybug!” Chloe said. 

Adrien blinked twice. “Huh?” 

“Everyone’s talking about Ladybug tonight.” Chloe said. She started explaining things to him like he was a toddler. “And well, that Rainy Roof imbecile. At least she didn’t bring Capri Sun.” Chloe said rolling her eyes. 

“You mean Rena Rouge and Carapace?”  _ Oh frick, Nino’s lab equipment.  _ He danced with Ladybug, Rena Rouge was busting a drug deal, and this whole conversation was happening. He was starting to believe this was a dream. 

“Yeah, well, whatever, same thing. Anyway,  _ all _ the attention is on the two of them, who weren’t even invited.” Chloe paced around the narrow hall, grumbling the last four words. “And since  _ you  _ danced with Ladybug, everyone’s talking about you.”

“Really?” Adrien really hated when that happened to him. 

“And if  _ I  _ was the one to dance with her, everyone would be talking about  _ me.  _ And that’s only fair because nobody ever does! At least not enough.” Adrien begged to differ, but he bit his tongue. Or could he say the cat bit his tongue! Get it? Because he’s Cat Noir? No? Okay. 

“Chloe-”

“Is my dress not expensive enough? Do I not have enough sapphires in my necklace?” Chloe asked.  _ What the actual hell Chloe?  _ Is what Adrien felt like saying, but butler Jean miraculously interrupted this incredibly awkward exchange. 

“Umm, you two need to be in the main hall right now.”

“Ugh, like right, right now?” Chloe said glancing at her nails.

“Immediately.” Adrien and Chloe walked anxiously back into the main room. There were too many things going on. Lida Zolato was trying to fight the police, but they ended up getting her in a car. _ What the what? Was she getting arrested? Huh? This is definitely a dream.  _ Adrien wanted to ask Chloe what the heck was going on, but she wouldn’t know because she left after the dance. Adrien saw Jagged Stone, in a neon yellow suit with zebra stripes. 

“Um, hey Jagged.” 

“Oh, Adrien!” He seemed very enthusiastic to talk to him. “My favorite man!” He said, ruffling his hair. “What’s going on!”

“Actually, that’s what I was going to ask you. Do you have any idea what’s happening?”

“Oh, like what you missed?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Oh, well, Archambeau and his fiancee got arrested for illegal drug dealing, and people are gossiping now.”

_ Wow, Alya really did it.  _ “Oh, thanks Jagged, that’s all I really needed to know.”

“Any time.” Jagged Stone walked backwards to Penny and Fang, who Archambeau was probably not a fan of. 

“Wait,” Adrien turned around and butler Jean and Chloe were behind him. “Why did you make us come here again?”

“Ladybug and Rena Rouge said they wanted to give a short speech about the groundbreaking events that happened.” Butler Jean replied. Right as he said that, Ladybug and Rena Rouge ran through the main entrance, but they were in their normal costumes, nothing fancy. Their faces were pale with anxiety.

Andre Bourgeois walked towards the girls. “Are you two ready to give your speech?” He asked, gesturing towards the podium.”

“No,” Rena Rouge said. The crowd murmured. “Everyone needs to evacuate the building immediately.” 

“What the hell?” Adrien said audibly for the whole room to hear. Nathalie sent a disapproving glance from across the room. This day cannot get any worse. 

“There’s been an akuma attack.” Ladybug said. The entire room filled with astonished gasps.

Yep.

It just got worse. 


	9. when you're gone, i feel incomplete

“Okay,” Rena Rouge took a deep breath and pulled Marinette into a small eating area near an empty closed cafe. “We need to question Lida Zolato.” 

“I agree.” Ladybug stated.

“I know you don’t want to-” Rena stopped midway. “Wait, you agree?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” 

“I thought you just came for Adrien.”

“I know, but I also came for security.” Ladybug stared right into Rena’s dark green eyes. “This is security. What type of Ladybug would I be if I didn’t want to catch the bad guys?” 

“You’re right. But we should probably formulate a plan before we do anything.” They silently tiptoed back inside, but through a side entrance so no one saw them. Ladybug scanned for Adrien, till Alya knocked her out of it. They kept a low profile and went to their most visited area, the bathroom. Unfortunately, there was someone in it. They went to the nearest door, which would lead to another hallway. But in this one, strangely enough, Ladybug heard the voice of Adrien! And... Chloe?

“And well, that Rainy Roof imbecile. At least she didn’t bring Capri Sun.” Was all they heard from her before they decided to leave. 

“Ugh, Rainy Roof? Capri Sun?” Ladybug asked, reminding herself of something she borrowed from Nino but didn’t give back. 

“Like she’s gotten a Miraculous more than twice.” Rena replied. The made their way through the twisting hallways. “This place is a maze.” Alya said. 

“I agree.” replied Ladybug. Rena kept walking, but Ladybug stopped her. “Wait, do you hear that, Rena?” They both listened carefully and didn’t make a sound. It was Lida Zolato. And police. They looked at each other and nodded. It was when they made their way towards the sound when they heard an extremely high pitched screech. 

“YOU CAN’T JUST ARREST ME!” Lida screamed. Ladybug and Rena Rogue looked at each other and communicated through eyes. Ladybug had a feeling Rena was thinking the same thing she was.  _ Was Lida Zolato getting arrested? Does that mean she was part of it?  _ The caught up with the police in what felt like the fiftieth turn in the hallway, and Lida Zolato was still visibly trying fight her way out. Fortunately, they had her down. One woman let go, and she turned to Ladybug and Rena Rouge, and Rena seemed to recognize her. Maybe she helped her catch Archambeau. 

“Hello, ladies,” she spoke. “We decided to investigate Ms. Zolato after looking at your portfolio as well.” 

“ _ You,”  _ Lida turned to them, but like the policewoman, Ladybug felt like she was speaking to Rena, not her. “ _ You have provoked the wrong person Ms. Rouge,”  _ she said it quietly and slowly, like Rena was a child. Ladybug was so confused.  _ Did they talk previously?  _ Ladybug thought.  _ “And you should watch your back for what I’m going to do to you.”  _ Rena didn’t say anything back, as Lida Zolato was carried away... to a BACK ENTRANCE!?  _ I need to come here with a map next time,  _ thought Ladybug.  _ If there is one. _

Ladybug’s thoughts were interrupted when Rena Rouge said, “Well, I guess that’s taken care of.” 

“Finally,” Ladybug said. “But do you think we owe it to the people to give a speech about what happened?”

“Yeah, I think we both should.”

“We should go to the main hall, instead of finding our way back through this labyrinth.” The left through the back door, where Lida Zolato was  _ still  _ trying to fight the police.  _ Jeez, girl.  _ As they walked pass, Marinette tried not to look at her, but she wasn’t so sure about Rena. She had a feeling Rena had gained Lida’s trust, and then broke it. “Hey Rena, what did you two talk about?”

“Nothing really, she was being all weird about Nino.”

“Huh?!” Another reminder of the lab equipment. 

“I don’t know.” Rena shrugged. “But it’s not our concern anymore.” 

“Yeah, I guess,” Ladybug replied, but she was thinking,  _ What the hell? Why the hell does she know about Nino?  _ Lida Zolato kept walk-fighting, and she was keeping her distance from Ladybug and Rena Rouge. The police car was probably in the front. Lida kept turning around and glaring and them, and it freaked Ladybug out so she started walking the other way with Rena. “She gives me the creeps.” Ladybug said, as Alya nodded her head in agreement.

“Hey, do you want to go to the garden and get a rose for Adrien?” Rena asked. 

“Well, um, er, sure?” Ladybug said. Before she knew it, they were in the garden. There was no one there. “Why is it so empty?” 

“Everyone’s probably inside. Lida Zolato is getting arrested after all.”

“Yeah.” Marinette saw a hot pink rose on the ground and picked it up. That would be the one she would give to Adrien.

“You found one?” 

“Yeah.” Ladybug peacefully stared at the water fountain.

“You know, that’s where Lida and I had our little chat.”

“Oh, cool.” 

“Do you want to go inside?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Ladybug clutched the rose close to her heart. “Adrien,” she dreamily sighed. Rena was probably rolling her eyes. 

“Come on, Juliet, let’s go and enjoy the party.” 

“Ok.” They walked back to the main entrance, but this time it was Rena who heard the loud noise, and stopped Ladybug. “Yeah, I heard it.” They peaked behind the greenery, and saw XY in a tailored baby blue suit. 

“Please,” he whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me.” Ladybug needed to know who he was talking to, but there was only a small crack in the wall in which they could see. They tiptoed slowly across the grounds, and Ladybug almost passed out at what she saw. He had a blue and orange striped overalls, which all the fashion critics at this party would faint seeing. He also had the same pattern on his mask, which covered the top half of his face. “I believe you, sir. You didn’t do it.” XY begged.  _ Archambeau. _

Archambeau.

Akumatized.

It took Ladybug and Rena Rouge a full eight. seconds to sit there in silence to digest that thought. Then, they snapped right into superhero mode. Ladybug was prepared to go in, but Alya stopped her. He still had handcuffs, which was strange. 

“Rena, what are you doing we have to help him!”

“No, we can’t. We need to know what his powers are and what he can do.” Ladybug looked at her, and gave her the  _ don’t be selfish  _ stare. “But, we should help him at the same time.” Rena said that a little too late. A silver flash gleamed from Archambeau’s handcuffs.

“I’m sorry, Archambeau,” XY pleaded, shying away from the light.

“Archambeau is a sorry man, wrongly convicted of drug trafficking.” He said. Shackles locked around XY’s hands and feet. 

Ladybug let out a quiet gasp but all Alya said was, “Wrongly?”

“Now, there is only Jailbreaker!” he growled. 

“Lucky charm!” Ladybug called out, hiding back behind the garden wall. She got a small automatic fan.

“Well, that’s just  _ fan _ tastic.” Rena said. Marinette glared at her. 

“What? Cat Noir isn’t here. Someone had to say it,” she smirked. It looked like the fan already had batteries in. “Whatcha gonna do, Ladybug?” Alya asked. Ladybug looked at her rose and started taking petals off the rose, and broke the stem into pieces, Rena gave her the  _ what the heck  _ look, and Ladybug shot back a  _ trust me  _ look. 

“Ok, so when the petals go up, I need to you do a mirage of an exact copy of me and you running away out of those bushes.” Ladybug whispered, pointing to the shrubbery on the other side of Jailbreaker. 

“Uhh, ok.” Rena said. Ladybug placed the pieces of the once beautiful rose on the fan and turned on. The petals flew up, creating a distraction that let Rena Rouge go in the open and cast a mirage. The mirage of Ladybug and Rena started running out of the bushes, making them look like they’d been _ there _ the whole time, and Jailbreak followed them. They both rushed to XY. “You good?” Rena asked. Clearly, he was not good. He had tape over his mouth, and even with the strength of two superheroines, they just couldn’t get it off. The cuffs began to expand to the rest of his body. Ladybug knew what that meant. He would soon become a statue. The only thing that could help him, was her lucky charm, and she had already used it. Nothing could save him until they defeated Jailbreak. They had to warn the others. They both ran as fast as they could to the main hall and slammed the doors open. Andre Bourgeois walked towards the girls. “Are you two ready to give your speech?” He asked, gesturing towards the podium.

“No,” Rena Rouge said. The crowd murmured. “Everyone needs to evacuate the building immediately.” 

“What the hell?” Adrien said audibly for the whole room to hear. Ladybug eyed him, but he didn’t see her. This wasn’t fair. She came here for him. If it wasn’t for Hawkmoth, she would be giving him her rose right now. 

“There’s been an akuma attack.” Ladybug said. The entire room filled with astonished gasps. “Mayor, start leading everyone to safety and alert the police force. Rena and I have to recharge, and Rena Rouge will take it over from there.”

“What? I should help you fight, right?”

“You said, if there was an akuma attack, you would leave immediately. Consider this a favor. I’m just looking out for you. I need you safe, but I still need you to help.” 

“Ok, let’s recharge.”

“We have to go to the main bathroom. I left my clutch in there from when you left me worried sick about being in the alley with all the trucks.”

“Ok.” The two of them made their way through the frantic crowd and closed the bathroom door. All the stall were empty. “Where did you leave it?” 

“On the table,” Ladybug said confidently. She didn’t need it, but she wanted to keep it with her just in case. Or she could give it too someone responsible, like Adrien for safekeeping. “Spots off!” Marinette transformed in the stall. 

“Um, Marinette?” Rena said.

“What?”

“Your clutch. It’s not here.” 


End file.
